The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-08-20
DRAGGED DOWN TO DEATH
REPTILE.INFEST HOLES IN
A GEORGIA SWAMP.
The Story Told by n Southern
Sportsman.

time, and | have seen . great many
strange things while hunting N that
swamp. but the most terrible ordeal Of
NV life was passed in that swamp on the
occasion Of my last alligator hunt, which
is now over thirty years ago. Ok"finO-
kee Swamp is il very large tract or waste
which extends over a considerable pOr-
ton of Snuthcrn Georgia and part Of
Florida. The swamp is IN great many
places very dense but here ald there IN
the very dcnscst parts You viii find
clearing :lat eXt"uL perhaps n hundred
yard, square. ThoSc c!carings are not
assemble until you are right close to
them, as the undcTSrow:h and the over
shalpwiug trees make It impossible -
see far ;.,.cal Of You. Such cirarings
are frequently covered with mud and
water foot deep, and sometimes III the
centre Won tind-if you are unlucliy
enough to try to wade through it-holcs
more like wells.
"Thcsc holes are not more than ten
or fifteen yards vile, and are often SO
deep that it is impossible to fathOm
them, so that death is inevitable when
ever person happens to get into one of
LlltHl. OUCH itlitS art All lllt DlO.t ttt-
lusive since they do not show their
depth on the surface, nor do they have
anything to denote their existence.
''Oketinokce Swamp abounds i'll ALI
gators, and was one of a party bent
upon alligator hunting one day in the
early spring of 1858. In some parts of
the swamp it is possible to row boat
for many miles before you have to go on
foot, and on the occasion referred to We
went as far possible in our boat, getting
out a. point not far from the Florida
line and proceeding on foot. There
were four i'll our party-a negro to row
the boat, an Englishman named button
AMI friend of his who had only arrived
short time before. DuttOn was a
clever fellow, generous TO a fault, and a
splendid marksman. During his stay
with me we had been on many hunts
and in many tight places, and 10 mat
ter how great the danger he never lost
his presence of mind.
''In order to kill an alligator with a
rifle /. is Necessary to pierce its eyes,
and | never saw Dutton miss but once.
"When We landed button went in
front, his friend near him, then came
the old negro and l closed up in the
rear. We Travelled on for about two
miles, when the swamp became SO dense
it seemed We could not go much further,
and as it was getting late in the evening
we called halt and determined to go
back to our boat before night caught lis
in the swamp. We were all ready to go
except button, who had gone some dis
lance ahead Of us and was ont of sight.
~ told the oil darby to hurry ahead
and tell him to return. and he had inst
started in obedience to my command
when the blood in my veins was chilled
hv an awful shrek for help. If live
for a hundred years | shall never forget
that cry. 1t seemed to come from the
direction TO tie right of us-a direction
which none of us had gone and which
button could only have taken by turn
ing away from the limo we had decided
to travel when VIC started ont.
"As the last note of that awful cry
died away the old tlarkv who had started
away Ia do my bidding seemed paralyz-
eIand became so weak he could hardly
stand The only words l could hear
from his half open lips as rushed past
HIN in the direction of the cry were,
ITS no use ter so after him, master; it's
no use.
"Duttcn's friend followed me quickly,
AMI we had not gone more than hun
drcd yards when sight met my eyes
the ike of which | would rather under
- ieath than again to encounter. In
M open space in front of me was
what appeared 20 be gmarshy stretch.
1t looked like its bottom was right on
the surface, and would have ATTEMPTED
- vale across across it without hcsita-
tation except for the sight before me.
In the midst of this marshy lake was
D,:t,on struggling as if with some invis-
81 - ,,1auor thnL ucns l.n r.;n1r him lnun-